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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. key — the most important part
  4. scale — size or range
  5. scale — in music
  6. court — of a king
  7. swing — in golf
  8. capital — a city
  9. court — of law
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. swing — music
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bear — the animal
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. court — for sport
  18. swing — to play on
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. capital — money
  22. bear — the animal
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com